The Cosmic Carousel

What do you get when you cross an innovative metalworker with a music festival and a child’s toy? You get The Cosmic Carousel, a project created by artist Michael Walsh – a Pittsburgh native and someone we covered in the early stages of NYO. The Cosmic Carousel is an “interactive aluminum sculpture 23 feet long, 18 feet wide and 17 feet tall with the ability to spin from kinetic energy applied by willing participants.” It’s explained in this very ambitious Kickstarter project, complete with video illustration and corresponding story line. There’s a whole lot of background to this project other than wanting to create something neat for the sake of art. Walsh and his team want to create an experience for the attendees of Burning Man, an annual festival held in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada over the week of Labor Day.
The Kickstarter page outlines the costs of the project, which total close to 20K. Think of The Cosmic Carousel like you would a Sit n Spin, only WAY cooler and for adults. This contraption is also huge, and so, can accommodate many more tooshies than just one. I think the Burning Man crowd will be the ideal guinea pigs for this experiment in sculpture, form and balance. But in pure Kickstarter fashion, it’s up to YOU to help fund this project! To follow its progress, visit their photo page.

Why is this relevant, you ask? Michael Walsh is a Pittsburgh native and has been contributing to the art scene here for many years. He held a closing exhibit at The Gallery 4 before moving to California last year, but has shown his work around the world at such places as Montreal, Amsterdam, Toronto, Portland, New York, Florida and many more. Best known for his metal sculptures, The Cosmic Carousel presents some of his most ambitious work to-date. We wish Michael and his team the best of luck with this endeavor!